Guardian
Civil liberties group raises concerns over Met police purchase of technology to track public handsets over a targeted area.
A woman on her mobile next to a police
cordon during protests in London in 2010. The Metropolitan police have
purchased technology to track all handsets in a targeted area.
Photograph: Matthew Lloyd/Getty Images
Britain's largest police force is operating covert surveillance
technology that can masquerade as a mobile phone network, transmitting a
signal that allows authorities to shut off phones remotely, intercept
communications and gather data about thousands of users in a targeted
area.
The surveillance system has been procured by the Metropolitan police
from Leeds-based company Datong plc, which counts the US Secret
Service, the Ministry of Defence and regimes in the Middle East among
its customers. Strictly classified under government protocol as "Listed
X", it can emit a signal over an area of up to an estimated 10 sq km,
forcing hundreds of mobile phones per minute to release their unique IMSI and IMEI identity codes, which can be used to track a person's movements in real time.
The
disclosure has caused concern among lawyers and privacy groups that
large numbers of innocent people could be unwittingly implicated in
covert intelligence gathering. The Met has refused to confirm whether
the system is used in public order situations, such as during large
protests or demonstrations.
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